Structural toy.



R. J. HOSKEN.

STRUCTURAL TOY.

APPLICATION men JUNE 24. m4.

1,21 3,374. Patented Jan. 23, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

7 I I ii lImd nmpy 10 l 1 1491 2797: WWW

R. J. HOSKEN.

nnnnnnnnnnnnn IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 4.

Patented Jan. 23, 1917.

2 EEEEEEEEEEEE 2- mllllllll orrion.

ROBERT J. HOSKEN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

STRUCTURAL TOY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 23, 1917.

Application filed June 24, 1914. Serial No. 847,168.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT J. HOSKEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Structural Toys, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a structural toy or miniature building outfit, primarily designed for the use of children but also useful in demonstration, class room Work, etc., to illustrate the structural features of steel frame-work buildings, bridges and other structures.

I am aware that childrens sets which comprise elements from which the children can, if sufficiently patient and painstaking, construct miniature representations of various machines or objects, have hitherto been made. In so far as I am aware, however, building sets of the prior art are objectionable for the reason that they have only a limited adjustability and because they involve many parts and because, the connecting together of the parts by the means provided is a laborious task. To make'the object,.it is necessary in general to assemble the elements in the right position and then to secure these elements together by means of bolts passing through holes in the elements and secured by bolts and nuts and depending on the tightening of one or more nuts to obtain the necessary rigidity. Usually each joint mustbe secured by at least two bolts.

In the first place, the successive manipulation of a multitude of small bolts and nuts is too great a tax uponthe patience and interest of the ordinary child, who when he must, after assembling the parts, insert a number of bolts and put on corresponding nuts may weary of the task before it is completed. Such outfits are again unsatisfactory because the bolts very soon work loose. In the third place, the boltsand nuts are exceedingly small and very easily lost, particularly again when the set is intrusted to the care of children. Furthermore the length of any element in such outfits cannot be adjusted to a finer degree than the distance between two adjoining holes. In the old construction it is impossible to insert numerous elements which should go into the structure being built, because it is impossible to make an element of the precise length required.

It is an object of my invention toprovide a building set or outfit whereby the structural work in any steel framework construction may be quickly and easily duplicated in miniature.

It is another object of my invention to provide a set of the character just outlined having comparatively few parts, these parts being all of exceedingly simple construction and therefore produce a set easy and economical to manufacture.

It is another object of my invention to provide a building set of the character described above in which the joints or connections involved in whatever structure is being duplicated in min ature, may be very easily put together without tedious manipulation of bolts, nuts and washers and yet are absolutely rigid and firm and remain so indefinitely, although the structure may be put to rather rough usage.

It is another object of my invention to provide a set in which each of the'elements involved in any structure is instantly adjustable to exactly the right length and. when so adjusted may be instantly and rigidly secured- 1 It is another object of my invention to provide a set or outfit of the character described, by which the most elaborate structure may be run up'by children in a minimum of time, thereby retaining the interest of the children by yielding speedy results to their efforts.

With the foregoing and other objects and advantages in View, as will more clearly appear from the detailed description to follow, my invention comprises a building set or outfit, one specific modification of which I have chosen for illustration in the accompanying drawings, in which' j Figure 1 is an elevation of a detailof a building constructed from my set. Fig. 2 is a sectional view on along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the base portion of the structure shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is aperspective of one element thereof. Fig. 5 is an elevation of a beam to girder connection.

Fig; 7 (Sheet Fig. 6 is a plan of the same. 2) is'a perspective view of the joining element involved '.i the same. Fig. 8 is'an enlarged perspective view of a two-way connection made according to my system. Fig. 9 is a wedgingwasher used in my system. Fig. 10 is a one-way connection. Figs. 11 and 12 are two forms of a two-way connecan enlarged scale tion. Figs. 13 and 14 are different forms of a right-angled connection. Fig. 15 is a strip such as is used for beams, columns, girders or the like. Fig. 16 is a st *aight line connection. Figs. 17 to 20 are connections useful in bridge or roof structures or the like.

In the drawings 1 represents a preferably imperforate strip or blank having tapered ends l and 1 these ends being tapered in the plane of the strip 1 and preferably, though not necessarily, also somewhat wedge shaped, that is to say thinner at their ends than the body of the strip 1. 2 represents the locking or clamping element which I have chosen to call a wedging washer, which in connection with the tapered ends of the blanks 1 and of the other blanks is a vital feature of my invention. The washer 2 is provided with a slot 3 of a length slightly longer than the width of the strips 1 but constricted at its ends, as shown at e and 5, so that while the'washer is freely slidable along a single strip 1, its slot is too narrow at the ends to permit two pleces together to pass through it.

Fig. t shows one section of the base portion or column support according to my invention. This column support has an upstanding part 7 and a horizontal part at right angles thereto. It is also provided with a lug 9 integral with the part 7 and provided with a hook portion 10. Opposite the lug 9 is a notch 11, the upper portion of the base-piece is tapered as shown at 12. In operation two of these base pieces are assembled, the hook portion 10 in each one locking over and into the notch 11 of the other as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3. hen thus assembled, the strip portion 1 is introduced between the two column pieces 7, the hooks 10 allowing just sutficient play for this and a washer 2 is forced down to bind the tapered ends 12 on either side against the strip 1 with a wedging action. It will be noted that in this joint or connection the strip 1 is secured at two places; In the first place it is. prevented from lateral movement by being engaged on either side by the lugs 9 which when the base is assembled, are just far enough apart to receive the strip 1. In the second place it is engaged and firmly bound between the tapered extensions 12 of the base-portion by means of the wedging washer 2, thus making a firm and rigid column support. 7

Fig. 7 illustrates a beam to girder connection shown in plan in Fig. 6 and in elevation in Fig. 5. This connection comprises a por- 7 tion 13 having a tapered end 1 1 and a portion 15 bent at right angles and having a tapered end 16. The portion 13 is extended beyond the portion 15 into lugs 17 which. are preferably recessed as seen at 18 to form a channel to receive a strip 1. This connection is employed where a beam and girder are to be connected. In Figs. 5 and 6 its application is shown, wherein it is seen that the portion 13 is secured to a strip 1 by means of washers 2, each one of which firmly binds the tapered end of the strip 1 or the part 13 against the body of the adjoining member. The other strip 1 is threaded through the channel formed by the recessed portions 18 of the lugs 17 and thus confined at that point against movement at right angles to its length while it is secured again at another point by the washer 2 which firmly binds the tapered end 16 against the body portion of the strip.

In Fig. 10 is shown a one-way connection 19, of which the tapered extremities 20 and '21 are adapted to be firmly clamped to a strip 1 by means of wedging washers 2 leaving an outstanding strip extension 22 having a tapered extremity to which another strip portion may be attached.

Figs. 11 and 12 show two forms of twoway connections having tapered portions 23 and at for attachment to a beam, column or girder, etc. and the strip extensions 25', 26 and 25 and 26 respectively, the extensions 25 and 26 serving the same purpose, except that the extension 26 takes out from the center of the column, beam or girder to which this connection is attached, instead of from the edge as shown in Fig. 11. The construction detail illustrated in Fig. 12 is shown as applied in Figs. 1, 2 and 8.

Figs. 13 and 14 show a one way connection at right angles to the support having tapered ends 27 and 28 for attachment to the support and strip extensions 29 and 29 tak-' ing off from the edge or from the center ofv the support and strip respectively.

Fig. 16 shows a straight line connection column or vice versa and continue the beam or girder on the other side thereof.

Figs. 17 to 20 illustrate the various forms of blanks useful in building bridges or the like and need not be specifically described.

In Figs. 1, 2 and 8, I have'illustrated a section of a structure built up from my new building set. I have selected columns having two and four-way beam conlnections thereon as illustrative in general of what may be done with my set and according to my system. It will be understood that by selecting the blanks shown in Figs. 10 to 14 and 16, either a one, two, three or four-way connection may be made, having extensions in any of the four directions. 7

It will be noted that the length of any ele- 105 adapted to attach a beam or girder to a Y From the foregoing detailed description of the parts, it will be readily apparent that by means of this structural set, any existing form of steel structure may readily be duplicated.

It will be seen that in each joint I have illustrated the strips or strip extensions, as the case may be, as secured at two points, that is to say as prevented from lateral displacement at one point and bound firmly together with a wedging action at another point, whereby all possibility of slip or give or sag is prevented, yet the assembly or disassembly of the structure is the matter of a moment.

In using the set, each strip is preferably threaded with two wedging washers 2 and each connection to be used, has one wedging washer placed on its strip extension so that all that is necessary to do in putting the structure together, is to assemble the parts and move the wedging washers 2 into binding engagement with the tapered ends of the associated pieces.

'body of another strip The straight strips 1 are, of course provided in a number of different lengths and it is obvious that many other forms of blanks for joints may readily be'devised to suit the particular nature of the connection to be made. The essential feature of the invention is, however, the production of a structural system capable of speedy assembly, yet firm and rigid when assembled. I consider the joint whereby the parts are connected to be of vital importance.

I claim:

1. In apparatus of the class described, a pair of blanks, one thereof having a tapered portion in combination with a wedging washer adapted to bind said tapered portion to another blank.

2. A structural toy comprising blanks having strip portions thereon, strips, said strip portions and strips being tapered at their ends, wedging washers whereby the tapered portion of one strip may be firmly clamped to the body portion of another strip without the 3. A structural toy comprising blanks for connections, column bases, angles and the like and strips for beams, girders and the like, said blanks and strips having tapered portions and wedging means adapted to bind the tapered portion of one member to the body of another when said tapered portions overlap.

e. A structural toy adapted to be constructed out of sheet material comprising a plurality of blanks, having strip extensions thereon, for joints, column supports and the like, a plurality of strips for beams, girders and the like, and wedging washers whereby the end of a strip or strip extension may be rigidly clamped against the or strip extension.

use of wedges or the like.

5. In a structural toy comprising blanks strip extensions on said blanks, all said extensions being of the same width, in combination with wedging devices easily slidable along one of said strip extensions but adapted to bind two of said strip extensions together without the insertion of special wedging means.

6. A structural joint for a structural toy comprising overlapping strips having tapered ends and one piece means slidable on either of said strips to bind the tapered ends to the adjacent strip.

In apparatus of the class described and comprising a set of blanks provided with strips, a blank comprising a foot portion, a portion at right angles thereto, said right angled portion having a channel to accommodate a strip on another blank.

8. In apparatus of the class described in combination with strips, a blank having a foot portion, a tapered strip extension in said foot portion, a portion at right angles to said foot portion, lugs forming a channel in the plane of said right angled portion and a tapered strip extension on said right angled portion.

9. A structural blank comprising a foot portion, a body portion having a lug thereon and a tapered extension whereby two of said blanks may interlock to form an upright base, and receive a column strip therebetween, said lugs when the two blanks are soengaged preventing sidewise displacement of said strip.

10. A base for a structural toy comprising a foot portion, a portion at right angles thereto and having a channel therein for the reception of a column strip, and a tapered extension, all for the purpose described.

11. In apparatus of the class described in combination with strips, one of which has tapered ends, a washer having a slot therein of a size to permit said washer to freely slide upon one of said strips, said slot converging at its ends. I

12. A structural joint comprising a blank having a lug thereon, another blank having a lug thereon, said blanks being engageable one with the other through said lugs and when so engaged having a space between the lugs equal to the width of a strip, and

said strip, together with wedging means for binding said blanks and strip together above said lugs.

13. In apparatus of the class described, a two-way connection comprising a foot portion having tapered extremities and a portion at an angle thereto having a tapered extremity, strips having tapered extensions for cooperation therewith and a wedging washer for binding said strips together.

14. In apparatus of the class described, a two-way connection comprising a portion Copies of this patent may be obtained for connecting the same, each blank having a tapered strip portion thereon and a plurality, of wedging washers for'wedging the tapered ends of said blanks together, whereby an entire structure may said blanks.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name to this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

' ROBERT J. HOSKEN.-

itnesses V r I. V. GURRAN, M. E. MARTIN.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0.

be built up from 

